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Player Reviews 2013
Player reviews for the 2013 season Jacob Brennan (AFL: 10 games, 0 goals; WAFL: 8 games, 2 goals; WAFL reserves: 1 game, 0 goals) - In and out of the side throughout the year, did some useful jobs in defence and added some much-needed pace in the back half when selected Mitch Brown (AFL: 19 games, 0 goals; WAFL: 4 games, 0 goals) – Expressed a strong but unfulfilled desire to become a Saint over the off-season, then responded in the best way possible, cementing his place in defence and signing a new multi-year deal Sam Butler (AFL: 15 games, 1 goal; WAFL: 2 games, 0 goals) - Played 15 games for the year, the most since 2009, and brought up his 100 game milestone against St Kilda mid-season, although he still had the obligatory run of soft-tissue injuries through the year Adam Carter (AFL: 5 games, 0 goals; WAFL: 11 games, 0 goals; WAFL reserves: 3 games, 0 goals) - Expected to be a long-term project and started the year in South Fremantle’s reserves but by July his form was good enough to warrant a debut. Showed a bit as a small defender and held his own every time he was picked, but still finished the year in the WAFL Brant Colledge (WAFL: 2 games, 0 goals; WAFL reserves: 6 games, 5 goals) - Managed just two league games and a handful of reserves games at Perth due to injury Dean Cox (AFL: 22 games, 13 goals) - Despite playing every game for the fourth successive season, the champion ruckman started to show his age at times during 2013. Forced to shoulder more of the ruck burden than the club would have liked due to NicNat either sitting out or struggling through injury, Cox did turn out a few vintage performances including 44 hitouts against the Suns and four goals against the Bulldogs Jamie Cripps (AFL: 15 games, 12 goals; WAFL: 9 games, 16 goals) - Kicked 2 goals in his West Coast debut in round 1. Played the majority of the season in the seniors, generally as a defensive forward with occasional stints in the midfield Jack Darling (AFL: 21 games, 42 goals) - Last year’s leading goalscorer took just a small step back in 2013 due to the reintroduction of Josh Kennedy as the number 1 forward target. Still kicked bags of five goals on four occasions Bradd Dalziell (AFL: 17 games, 15 goals; WAFL: 6 games, 7 goals) - Had his best season as an Eagle, playing 17 games as a wingman or high-half-forward including every game after the bye. Showed a knack of bobbing up for important goals, but was surprisingly delisted at the end of the year (Delisted) Brad Dick (WAFL: 11 games, 29 goals; WAFL reserves: 2 games, 3 goals) - After being promoted to the senior list over the off-season, spent the season at East Fremantle marred by injuries, and despite the occasional eye-catching game (including 8 goals against West Perth) he again couldn’t crack it for a debut. Announced his retirement after the final game (Retired) Andrew Embley (AFL: 11 games, 7 goals; WAFL : 6 games, 10 goals) – Started to show his age in 2013, not helped by a foot injury and a couple of suspensions. Announced his retirement in advance of the final round, which was his 250th game (Retired) Andrew Gaff (AFL: 22 games, 5 goals) - One of just two players to play every game, but struggled most weeks with a tag. Had a poor first half of the year before finally showing some form after the break Darren Glass (AFL: 20 games, 0 goals) - The indefatigable captain had another great year, defying his ageing body to again lead from the front (at the back). Last year’s All-Australian captain shifted to a floating third-tall role in 2013, letting MacKenzie and Brown take the opposition’s best talls Ashton Hams (AFL: 8 games, 8 goals; WAFL : 9 games, 22 goals) – Managed just 8 games after being a fixture in the forward line for most of 2012. Played the first 5 games before being dropped, and just 3 more games after that, being called up to replace an injured Mark LeCras on each occasion. Retired at just 27 but was in line for delisting (Retired) Josh Hill (AFL: 20 games, 28 goals) - Had another reasonable year in the forward line, kicking 28 goals to finish fourth in the club goalkicking and constantly working hard to put pressure on defenders in the forward 50 Shannon Hurn (AFL: 12 games, 1 goal) - Had a reasonable first half of the season, but was too often the subject of a hard tag by a defensive forward which limited his output. In the first game back after the bye he suffered a serious ankle injury that put a premature end to his season Mark Hutchings (AFL: 9 games, 1 goal; WAFL: 13 games, 16 goals) - Earned an AFL debut mid-season after strong form for West Perth. Managed 9 games all up after being surprisingly dropped a couple of times, and finished the year with the Falcons where he won the Simpson Medal as best-on-ground in the WAFL grand final Josh Kennedy (AFL: 21 games, 60 goals) - Bounced back from an injury-hit 2012 to regain his position as the spearhead of the Eagles’ attack. Kicked 5 goals on four occasions during the season and led the Coleman until a disastrous final month where he barely troubled the scorers. Even when he wasn’t kicking sausage rolls, Kennedy impressed with his work-rate, particularly his willingness to chase and tackle which is unparalleled for a bloke of his size Daniel Kerr (AFL: 10 games, 4 goals; WAFL : 3 games, 4 goals) – Had a delayed start to the season following knee surgery, making a rare appearance at East Fremantle before starting as the sub against Melbourne in round 3. Mid-year he suffered a rib injury and missed a couple of weeks, following which he was surprisingly made to earn a recall through the WAFL. After two more games for the Sharks and amidst talk that he was struggling to reach AFL fitness, he was sent in for knee surgery which ended his year and ultimately his career (Retired) Mark LeCras (AFL: 15 games, 30 goals) – On the comeback from a knee reconstruction that wrote off his entire 2012 season, had a horror start to 2013 when he fractured an arm midway through the opening-round derby. Remarkably missed just one match, but seemed hampered by his injured arm with his performances after that not up to his usual high standard. Late in the season he missed two weeks with a foot injury, and on his return against Essendon broke his ribs in a marking contest. He managed to kick 5 goals after breaking his ribs, but then missed the remainder of the season Scott Lycett (AFL: 7 games, 2 goals; WAFL: 14 games, 24 goals) - Was given first crack at filling the gaping hole left by Nic Naitanui’s delayed start to the year, but lost his spot to Callum Sinclair after having zero impact in the round 1 derby. After some strong performances for East Perth he was called up late in the year when Naitanui was put on ice, and showed massive improvement over the final six games. Was named the club's Rookie of the Year Eric MacKenzie (AFL: 20 games, 3 goals) - Came of age in 2013, developing into an elite-level stopper and putting in some fantastic performances on some of the competition’s biggest names. The best of those was clearly the game against St Kilda heading into the bye, when he not only blanketed but actually outscored Saints captain Nick Riewoldt and kicked the winning goal in the process. His fantastic year was recognised when he was named in the extended 40-man All-Australia squad, and as runner up in the Club Champion award Chris Masten (AFL: 19 games, 9 goals) - Continued to build on his good form of the past few years despite some injury problems late in the year, particularly a serious-looking ankle injury that only cost him a game and a half Patrick McGinnity (AFL: 7 games, 1 goal; WAFL: 8 games, 7 goals) - Hit by injury early in the year and didn’t make the league side until after the bye. Was suspended for three weeks for a sling tackle that left Crow Bernie Vince dazed Fraser McInnes (WAFL: 19 games, 18 goals) - Had another solid season at Perth, and travelled to Melbourne as an emergency late in the year but still didn’t get a debut for the second year running Cale Morton (AFL: 3 games, 1 goal; WAFL: 20 games, 10 goals) - Spent most of the year with a new WAFL club (East Perth) learning to play a new position (rebounding half-back). Made his Eagles debut in a derby, starting as the sub and being introduced to the action in the third quarter. Wore the green jacket in the next two games before being sent back to the Royals (Delisted) Nic Naitanui (AFL: 11 games, 8 goals) - Had a nightmare start to the year, with groin surgery late in the pre-season keeping him out of action until round 6. After coming on as the sub and playing less than a half against the Bulldogs, he soon hit his stride with a memorable pack mark and after-the-siren goal to win the Round 8 match against North, the first time an Eagle has ever done that. Unfortunately, the groin injury flared up and his output deteriorated quickly. After a few ineffectual games in a row, he was rested indefinitely and then packed up for the year when finals were no longer mathematically possible Murray Newman (WAFL: 9 games, 10 goals) - Had the season from hell, starting off by getting beaten by the coach in a 2km run and finishing up on indefinite leave after storming out of a Swan Districts game at quarter-time. Clearly struggled with GBH charges hanging over his head from an off-season incident (Delisted, re-rookied) Mark Nicoski (WAFL: 4 games, 7 goals; WAFL reserves: 2 games, 1 goal) – Missed a second straight season due to injury, first the hangover from the previous year’s hamstring injury and then a wrist injury suffered while playing for Subiaco. After 112 games in 10 seasons on West Coast’s list, Nicoski hung up the boots in August (Retired) Matt Priddis (AFL: 21 games, 6 goals) – Had a typically consistent year, leading the club in possessions, clearances and Brownlow votes and was rewarded with the inaugural John Worsfold Medal Matt Rosa (AFL: 11 games, 1 goal; WAFL: 6 games, 0 goals) - Stop-start season for the veteran wingman, who suffered a quad injury during the pre-season and missed more than a month of footy. After a few games with East Perth, he forced his way into the side for the round 7 match in Brisbane and acquitted himself well with 22 touches and a goal. Later missed another stretch of games with a back injury Will Schofield (AFL: 16 games, 7 goals; WAFL: 2 games, 0 goals) - Fell behind Mitch Brown in the pecking order early in the season and struggled for form as a result. Spent some time up forward and a couple of weeks at East Perth, before his season was ended a week early by a cowardly idiot in a Geelong street Adam Selwood (AFL: 8 games, 0 goals; WAFL : 9 games, 8 goals; WAFL reserves: 1 game, 1 goal) - Played seven games in the first half of the season, memorably winning a last minute free kick against North Melbourne and pumping the ball into the forward line to allow Naitanui to perform his game-winning heroics. A back injury and poor form kept him to just one more AFL game for the year, and he announced his retirement in August (Retired) Scott Selwood (AFL: 18 games, 4 goals) - Wasn’t quite up to the previous year’s Club Champion-winning standard but still had a decent season, including recording double figures in tackles on no less than seven occasions Brad Sheppard (AFL: 13 games, 3 goals; WAFL: 6 games, 5 goals) - Had another up and down season, with injury and indifferent form limiting him to just 13 games. Injured his shoulder in the round 2 loss to Hawthorn, which caused him to miss a few weeks. Later overcame an incredibly cheap shot by Adelaide’s Shaun McKernan to play out the game, only to do a hammy in training the following week Luke Shuey (AFL: 14 games, 9 goals) - Had a strong first half of the season, but unfortunately repeated hamstring injuries meant that he played just two games after the round 13 loss, each one of them ending in him being subbed off with ice on the hammy Ashley Smith (AFL: 12 games, 1 goal; WAFL: 7 games, 4 goals) - Dropped back to Perth after round 1 but worked his way back into the senior side later in the year, playing nine of the last ten games Beau Waters (AFL: 7 games, 0 goals:) - Body betrayed him once again in 2013. Missed two weeks with a quad injury, came back for a week, then missed two more weeks with a groin, came back for another week, missed a month with a quad injury, managed three consecutive games on his return, then was ruled out of the return derby with a knee injury. Before he could come back from that he had season-ending shoulder surgery. When he was able to get on the park, his disposal was generally rusty Sharrod Wellingham (AFL: 10 games, 8 goals; WAFL: 1 game, 0 goals; WAFL reserves: 2 games, 1 goal) - The big name recruit was missing in action early in the year after falling off a trampoline in the pre-season and severely injuring an ankle. Returned to make his debut in the Round 6 win over the Bulldogs, but two weeks later injured his ankle again which resulted in another lengthy layoff. Managed to get back for the final seven games of the season and showed glimpses of why the club paid highly for him Blayne Wilson (AFL: 7 games, 0 goals; WAFL: 14 games, 1 goal) - Finally made his debut mid-year after two and a half seasons on the list, and immediately impressed with a polished kicking display. While there were question marks over his speed and agility, he managed another half-dozen games and showed he could be a valuable asset as he matures Jamie Bennell (WAFL: 12 games, 4 goals; WAFL reserves: 3 games, 0 goals) - The former Demon returned from a knee reconstruction early in the season to perform solidly in Swan Districts’ backline. Promoted to the senior list mid-year but didn’t get a West Coast debut (Promoted) Jeremy McGovern (WAFL: 4 games, 9 goals; WAFL reserves: 2 games, 3 goals) - Had a limited season due to injury, the main highlight being a Foxtel Cup game where he showed his promise with 11 marks and 3 goals. It was enough for him to be promoted to the senior list for 2014 (Promoted) Callum Sinclair (AFL: 5 games, 3 goals; WAFL: 5 games, 5 goals) - Elevated to the senior list and given a debut in the second week of the season, and immediately impressed with his aggression around the ground. In his fifth game he was subbed off for the returning Nic Naitanui and that was the last we saw of him at AFL level for the year. Knee injuries limited him to just four more games for Subiaco for the remainder of the season Simon Tunbridge (AFL: 2 games, 2 goals; WAFL: 10 games, 15 goals; WAFL reserves: 2games, 1 goal) - Given a surprise debut after being elevated from the rookie list to replace the injured Shannon Hurn. Started as the sub on debut and had to wait until the final quarter was well underway before taking the field. It wasn’t the best way to start an AFL career and Tunbridge got just two touches and was sent back to Perth the following week. He returned in the final round and was impressive amidst the carnage, kicking two goals (Promoted)